Closer than most

My brother is so much more than a brother to me. He is a mentor, role model, and more than anything, he is my very best friend. He was seven and a half when my mom gave birth to me and now, 15 and one half years later, my brother just turned 23.  It’s amazing how much happens in 15 years of someone’s life. A few examples would be getting a baby brother… or sister, playing a sport… or multiple, moving out of the house… or state, making a mistake…or two, graduating high school and getting a job… or a few, and so much more. I’ve been lucky enough to see my brother go through most of these milestones.

Obviously, I didn’t see my brother get a little sister since I’m the littler sister he got. I’ve just seen pictures and some videos. It was very obvious that my brother loved me from the day I was born and I have yet to see that love diminish. He had no problem watching me while my mom made lunch or dinner. He didn’t whine when I needed a diaper change, and he knew that singing “You are my Sunshine” to me put me to sleep. The same caring and loving brother still exists in my life today, just without the babysitting, diaper changing, and singing me to bed. Now it’s hanging out with me, helping me pick out what to wear for a date, and being there for me when I need someone to talk to.

Jake chose to take hockey more seriously than the rest of his sports; baseball, soccer, and track. He was also in show choir but it was obvious his love was in hockey. Before his sophomore year of high school, he was scouted to play for Triple A team in Omaha, Nebraska. At age 15, he made the courageous decision to move to Omaha and live with a housing family in order to play for this team, the Omaha Energy. This was by far one of the hardest times of my life with my brother. My parents, Jake, and I took the four hour trip to Omaha to drop Jake off for his sophomore year. Saying goodbye to my brother was beyond depressing and writing about it right now is making me tear up. I knew losing my best friend wasn’t going to be easy but I had no way at all to prepare for the tears, pain, and heartbreak that overwhelmed me as I looked out the back windshield and waved goodbye for however long it was before I saw him again.

I know I’m the person I am today because of my brother and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love him and he’s still the closest person to me, 15 years later. There have been times when I thought I was going to lose my brother, whether to a girlfriend or sport, or worse, when my brother could have died. I’m beyond lucky and blessed to have a brother who is my best friend and I can’t imagine my life without him nor would I want to. I love my Bubba.

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